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TV Networks Expand Mobile Lineups

By James Alan Miller
February 28, 2006

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Three of the biggest names in television - CBS, FOX, and MTV Networks - chimed in with new lineups to expand their presences in another medium, cell phones, yesterday, while ABC did the very same today.

For CBS that means the launch of a breaking news and entertainment alert service; FOX, the creation of a Web site for the desktop and handset devoted to its brands; and MTV Networks, a carrier specific deal with Sprint. ABC announced its existing 24-hour Internet video channel, ABC News Now, is now available for mobile phones.

CBS plans to launch CBS Alerts next week under the banners CBS News TO GO for, well, news from CBS News and ET TO GO from Entertainment Tonight. Subscribers will receive up to five alerts daily. Each alert determines if a handset is capable of viewing pictures and ten-second video clips or just text. So all types of users are covered and can sign up for the service.

CBS News TO GO costs 99 cents per month and ET TO GO $3.99. m-Qube developed it for the network.

The New York Times reports a similar service for CBS Sports is in the making, as well as a mobile soap opera in 3-5 minute increments, and a $6 per month offering that features traditional cell phone fare like ringtones, games, sound effects, and pictures.

News Corp. subsidiary Fox Mobile Entertainment new mobile service is more along the lines of a traditional portal, even giving the aggregate of wireless content - games, music, general entertainment and more - a snappy name, Mobizzo. You'll be able to access content directly on the Mobizzo Web site and soon from both Cingular Wireless and T-Mobile by a short numeric code on a phone keypad.

Represented Fox-brands include the 'Family Guy,' 'American Dad,' 'Napoleon Dynamite' and the upcoming feature film 'Ice Age: The Meltdown.' Pricing ranges from $1.99 to $2.49 for individual offerings, with monthly subscription plans averaging $5.99 per month available as well.

Media conglomerate Viacom's MTV Networks deal with Sprint brings video and audio clips and streams from CMT, MTV, VH1 and COMEDY CENTRAL to the carrier's Sprint TV lineup. So while there's select clips from all four channels, including 'The Daily Show with Jon Stewart' for example, users can also listen to radio stations for the three music networks.

CMT, COMEDY CENTRAL, MTV and VH1 cost $5.95 per month, per channel on Sprint multimedia-capable handsets.

The ABC News Now service is run by SmartVideo Technologies and is available to subscribers at Cingular, Sprint Nextel, Midwest Wireless, Verizon International in Puerto Rico, and Orange-UK. It offers live breaking coverage, hourly news briefs and 26 original programs, including 'Politics Live,' 'What's the Buzz,' and 'Money Matters,' in addition to clips from regular ABC News programs.



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